Rockaway reopens beach access trails Page A2
Fleisher targets higher public engagement in assessor’s race Page A3
Headlight Herald
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 | Vol. 136, Issue 18
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Tillamook fire chief announces resignation STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
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shortage of nurses that makes staffing an ongoing challenge. Smith said that the hospital currently had eight open RN positions and that finding applicants was challenging even as Adventist has increased wages to compete with those available to travel nurses. Bonamici said that she believed the shortage was being driven by a lack of space in training programs caused by a shortage of trainers. Bonamici said that this
illamook Fire District Chief Jeff McBrayer announced that he would be resigning from the district at the end of May at a meeting of the district’s board of directors on April 16. In his letter of resignation, McBrayer cited concerns over his and his family’s safety following recent work-related events as the reason for his departure. McBrayer has accepted the position of chief at the Netarts-Oceanside Fire District, where he will take over in June. The concerns about safety arose following an investigation prompted by allegations of misconduct by McBrayer from other district personnel, which showed all allegations to be unsubstantiated. Three firefighters approached fire district board chair Brian Cameron with a variety of concerns about McBrayer’s behavior as chief in late January, prompting the investigation. The trio alleged that McBrayer was using his district vehicle excessively and for outof-district trips without selecting a duty officer, that he may have used the district’s fuel card to fill up a personal vehicle and purchase items for personal use from NAPA Auto Parts, that he was late in paying a contractor, that he was not punctual for shifts and that he was missing deadlines for grant applications. The district’s investigation found that McBrayer’s use of the
See BONAMICI, Page A4
See FIRE CHIEF, Page A4
Bonamici (center) presents a check for $1 million to Tillamook County Commissioners Doug Olson (second from left), Erin Skaar (far right) and Mary Faith Bell (second from right), and Tillamook County Chief of Staff Rachel Hagerty (far left).
Bonamici visits Tillamook WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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nited States Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici was in Tillamook for stops at Adventist Health Tillamook and the county courthouse on April 24. At Adventist, Bonamici toured the hospital’s facilities and visited with staff about rural healthcare challenges and at the courthouse she held a meeting with county commissioners before presenting a $1 million check in support of
the Three Rivers Fiber Broadband project. “I got the message loud and clear that this is a concern in Tillamook County,” Bonamici said, referring to broadband connectivity, “and so between the bipartisan infrastructure bill that we passed and the American connectivity program, I know there’s still needs and so that’s why I put in the request.” Bonamici’s visit started at Adventist Health Tillamook where Patient Care Executive Heather
Thompson, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Paul Welch and Finance Officer Micah Smith showed her around the hospital. The tour started in the hospital’s radiology department, which is in the midst of a $1.2 million upgrade. The group then made their way through the emergency department, surgery suite and maternity ward before sitting down for a discussion of the challenges of rural healthcare. The most pressing issue identified by Adventist staff was the
Garibaldi Fire employs new jet boat WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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(Left to right) Tillamook County Commissioner Erin Skaar, Health & Human Services Administrator Marlene Putman, Health Council Members Harry Coffman and John Sandusky, and Public Health Services Deputy Director Rochelle “Rockie” Phillips cut the ribbon on the department’s new public health services building on April 19.
TCCHC cuts ribbon on new public health services building WILL CHAPPELL Headlight Editor
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embers of the Tillamook County Community Health Centers’ staff and board of directors gathered on April 19, to cut the ribbon and host an open house at the new public health service building on 8th Street in Tillamook. The $1.3 million renovation and addition, which was completed in November 2023, is home to Tillamook County Community Health Centers’ (TCCHC) environmental health, women, infants and children nutrition, home visit and public health services programs. Funding for the work came from an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration for $549,567, which was matched by $684,109 from TCCHC. When accounting for the inclusion of
a portable generator hookup system and architect fees as well as the purchase price of the building, also paid for by TCCHC, the project’s total cost tipped the scales at over $1.5 million. TCCHC purchased the law office immediately adjacent to their main facility on 8th Street in Tillamook from the estate of the former owner in 2020 for $256,000. Initially, TCCHC planned to use the building in its unrenovated state to meet expanded needs during the coronavirus pandemic, but it quickly became apparent that even more space was needed. That led to the decision to apply for the grant from the federal government following the 2021 passage of ARPA, with funds awarded in 2022. Work then began to expand the building’s 1,181 square-foot footprint to allow it to house staffers who See TCCHC, Page A9
IN THIS ISSUE News A2-4 Opinion A5-6 Obituaries A7 Announcements A8-9 Sports A10 Classifieds A11-16
fter taking delivery of a new jet boat in February, the Garibaldi Fire Department is focusing on training personnel to operate the new vessel and has already used the vessel to respond to two emergency calls. On a recent evening, the Headlight Herald tagged along on a joint-training with Garibaldi Fire and the Netarts-Oceanside Fire District in Netarts Bay and experienced the boat’s capabilities firsthand. The flat-bottomed, 21-foot, jet-propelled boat is powered by a 2.3-liter Ford Ecoboost engine and is the first of its kind for the county’s first responders. It joins jet skis operated by the Netarts-Oceanside and Nehalem Fire Districts to expand the water-rescue capabilities of local fire departments and districts. Funding for the $100,000 purchase came from an Oregon Department of Emergency Management grant awarded in 2021, and the vessel was built by River Wild Boats of Grants Pass, Oregon. Garibaldi’s is the first of four matching boats to be constructed and Garibaldi Deputy Fire Chief Blake Paulsen said that delivery happened months ahead of schedule, with an original delivery date of fall 2024 projected. With the expedited construction timeline, members of the Garibaldi department were forced to accelerate their training, which began earlier this year. Garibaldi firefighters have worked with Coast Guard personnel and Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dennis Greiner to get up to speed, and four operators have logged more than 50 hours of training, while four deckhands have more than 80 hours complete. Training efforts will continue, with Paulsen saying that personnel will spend three to eight hours a day four days a month on the water. Thanks to its flat bottom and
Garibaldi Fire Department’s recently delivered jet boat arriving, launching and departing at the boat launch in Netarts, Oregon as part of a training exercise with Netarts-Oceanside Fire District.
propeller-less propulsion system, the boat has a shallow draft and can navigate in areas with less than two feet of water. The jet propulsion system also helps the boat accelerate more quickly than a conventional propeller driven vessel. Together these factors allow the boat to respond to a wide range of emergencies in Tillamook, Nestucca, Nehalem or Netarts Bays and other waterways around the county. At the training with NetartsOceanside, Paulsen said that the boat would be deployed with a minimum of three Garibaldi personnel
and focus exclusively on estuarine waterways, leaving ocean rescues to the Coast Guard. The jet boat saw its first action on April 1, when a crabbing boat crewmember sustained a hand injury in the boat’s bait chopper and required urgent medical attention. Garibaldi Fire responded in the jet boat, meeting the crabbers just inside the Tillamook Bay Bar and transporting the injured crew member to the Port of Garibaldi, whence a Life Flight helicopter transported See GARIBALDI, Page A4
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